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Comment by bifrost | Hacker News Reader

I think they've got you TBH. airbnb is literally in your domain name. It'd be different if it was in marketing materials/etc but its in your domain name...

If you'd registered "itslikeabnbforyourdog" you'd probably be in a lot less of a predicament.

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https://itslikeairbnbforyourdog.com/ is a single page with a couple of "It's like <company name> for your <other word>." No product or business and imho no possible confusion with the airbnb brand.

I wonder, does it also get a parody exception, like you do for copyright?

If its got another company's name in the URL, you're already stealing brand identity. Its not a good game to play.

Interesting. So basically no one can ever use the letters "airbnb" in a domain ever again so long as Airbnb continues to exist? I get companies need to defend their copywrite, and a site called airebnb.com that's mean to look just like the legit site definitely crosses the line, likely has malicious intent, etc. This just feels a little bit like a stretch considering how different the domain is.

It is a trademark not a copyright, and if they don't defend it they could lose the right to later. Airbnb is a very specific combination and isn't a common english word, therefore yes, those letters in any domain name are protected. If it was a common word, like windows, but the site was about cleaning windows then Microsoft wouldn't be able to come after that person given the common english word.

For Airbnb, if they don't defend their trademark, they can lose the trademark and the right to enforce it, so they must go after everyone who is using it that doesn't have permission. And your usage is a direct reference to their trademark so yea you are in violation here. They obviously don't feel like you are being malicious, hence you got a simple polite form letter and a request to comply not something more aggressive.

Replace "airbnb" with "microsoft" and see if your opinion changes. "itslikemicrosoftforcats" would probably get shutdown very quickly for the same reason - once you establish trademark for a brand name and make it well-known, other people trying to use that brand (which you spent a lot of time and money to build) for their own purposes are in the wrong.

The exception would be if you can show the letter sequence really is coincidental, but the case we're discussing is a blatant attempt to cash in on Airbnb's brand.

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